Stretches

Over the last year or so, I’ve experienced pain and stiffness in my legs when I get out of bed in the morning or get up from my desk after sitting for a while. Sound familiar? Even though I’m pretty disciplined about exercising, doing 30-40 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of strength training 3-4 times per week, I still feel stiff and sore. What gives?

Stretching has health benefits that are often overlooked. And we don’t mean stretching out for some ‘couch potato’ time. Here are 4 facts that can give you incentive to incorporate a daily stretch into your everyday routine, even if you’re not exercising regularly.

Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol that has been recognized by dentists and health professionals worldwide as a great alternative to white sugar. Commonly found in chewing gum and breathmints, Xylitol is known to have a many health benefits associated with its use.

GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status has been self-affirmed by Horizon Science for Benecarb, a molasses-based ingredient which has been proven to lower the blood glucose response of a range of food products, including sugar, using an entirely natural ingredient.

A new type of sugar could help prevent heart disease, according to latest research by Dr Corin Storkey and Professor Carl Schiesser from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology at The University of Melbourne. Together with Professor Michael Davies from the Heart Research Institute, Sydney, Dr Storkey and Professor Schiesser have formulated promising new heart disease preventatives based on sugar and selenium.

A new animal study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers new clues about the mechanism through which a diet high in fructose, such as from added sugar and high fructose corn syrup, may contribute to the development of obesity and diabetes.